How You’re Secretly Sabotaging Your Morning Makeup Routine

Sometimes you have to get out of your own way.

You may have perfected your cat eye application or figured out the trick to drawing a precise red lip, but regardless of your technical expertise in all things makeup, some mornings you simply just can’t pull it together. Foundation appears cakey, eyeliner is runny, and you’ll be damned if you your lip color stays put...and you haven’t even left the house. What gives?

Chances are you’re making some key mistakes in a mad rush to make it to work on time. While these self-sabotaging moves may feel like they came straight out of the Captain Obvious playbook, they’re beauty mistakes we all make in an effort to pull ourselves together quickly.

1

Get Out of the Heat

Photo by Christopher Baker

Maybe you spent a little longer in the shower than your timed morning routine allows, so you hop out and try speeding through your beauty application...in a steamed up bathroom. It’s essentially like trying to apply cosmetics in the Amazon—there's no way anything is going on and staying put. Grab your product and get out of there and station a mirror anywhere but a hot bathroom.

Oh, and putting your makeup on before styling your strands under a hot hair dryer? That’s a huge no-no too. Heat + makeup = disaster. It’s really the only equation you need to remember, and one we wish they would have taught in high school.

2

Stop Lashing Out

There’s nothing wrong with giving your lashes a little oomph with falsies, but rushing the application process or going nuts with the adhesive is a recipe for disaster. “You have to let the glue dry so it can get tacky,” says Dusty Starks, Director of Beauty for Butterfli Me Makeup Studio. “Wait that 30 seconds. If you don’t, the lash won’t stick and it can slip all over the place. You’ll end up either with glue in your eye or on your lid and it's hard to remove.”

3

More Mascara Doesn’t Mean Bigger Lashes

Layering lipstick may make for longer staying power, but Starks says it’s the opposite when you’re dealing with mascara. “We all want our lashes to look long and thick, but two coats is all you need,” she says. “Mascara dries pretty quick, so when you apply a coat—and then a second coat—it’s already drying in between. If you keep putting tons of mascara on, coat after coat, it’s just going to get clumpy and make your lashes look spidery.” Starks recommends Delphine Luxury Mascara ($18) for flirty lashes in just two coats.

4

Let Your Skin Care Set

You have a bevy of skin products ranging from lotions to serums, but you’re using them in haste and and then applying makeup immediately afterwards. Like cosmetics, those potions need time to dry before they can be layered with more product. Patience is your friend. Allow moisturizers and serums to set so they don’t pill underneath makeup, which will create obstacles for an even foundation application.

5

Step Into the Light

During fall and winter it may be tough to find natural light for early morning applications, but—whatever you do—don’t apply it in the dark! “It’s grounds for disaster,” says Starks. “Who knows what’s going to walk out of that room! Try to find as natural light as possible, whether it’s in your kitchen, bathroom or bedroom.”